Aci Castello, Sicly

Promenada at Aci Castello, Sicily

Just north of the city center of Catania is the township (comune) of Aci Castello and its subdivision (frazione) Aci Trezza.

Aci Castello is worth a stop for it beautiful promenade along the sea, its Norman Castle, the fishing boats in the harbor and the Islands of the Cyclops (isole dei ciclopi).

Fishing boats, Aci Castello, Sicily

 Walking along the promenade, eventually you'll reach a small harbor filled with colorful fishing boats in various states of disrepair. Its fun to watch the workers repairing their vessels for another trip out on the Mediterranean.

Fishing boat, Aci Castello, Sicily

 The biggest tourist attraction (and frankly, there aren't a lot of them in Aci Castello, people are here for the scenery and the shore) is the Castello Normanno, built 1,000 years ago on the remains of a Byzantine fortress.

Video of the Castello Normanno, Sicily

For a small fee, you can climb the steps and wander around the castle. There is a tiny museum inside, but the real attraction is the view of the Mediterranean from the top of the castle.
 

Islands of the Cyclops, Aci Castello, Sicily

From the castle you can get a great view of the Islands of the Cyclops. These rock formations were created during an explosion at Mount Etna a half million years ago.

Islands of the Cyclops, Aci Castello, Sicily

 But, the legend of how the islands were formed is far more interesting. Here's an excerpt from a project I'm working on, much of which takes place in Sicily.

            "The Greeks came to Sicily and colonized it almost 3,000 years ago.  Sicily and southern Italy was called Magna Graecia, or greater Greece, by the Romans because of the Greek people living here and their Greek customs.  Good portions of Homer’s Odyssey supposedly take place in and around Sicily, and much scholarly work has been done to pinpoint the exact locations of the wayward sailor’s journey. 

            Neapolitans lays claim to the cyclops Polyphemus, as do Sicilians, who say that the cone-shaped islands in the water near Aci Trezza are the rocks thrown at Odysseus by Polyphemus.  These rocks, jutting up in striking fashion from the Mediterranean, are just meters off the shore and a favorite photo of summer tourists who walk the promenade for the stunning view.

            Greek gods linger in Sicily.  Aci, a young shepherd in Sicily, fell in the love with the sea nymph Galatea.  Their love made Polyphemus jealous and he killed Aci by crushing him with a rock, obviously his weapon of choice.  Galatea turned Aci’s blood into a river, Sicily’s Acis river, and his spirit inhabits the river. 

            That’s a nice story, but it doesn’t appear to be an original Greek myth.  Instead, many scholars believe the story was actually political satire aimed at the Greek tyrant Dionysius I of Siracusa.  While grade school history teaches us that Greece was the first democracy, Dionysius insulated himself with a mercenary army and ruled with an iron fist and a taste for blood.  This kind of despotism cries for mockery, but of course, making fun of the guy who voided your democracy has its risks.  So, the myth of Aci and Galatea was born, with Dionysius obtusely played by the bumbling brute Polyphemus.  We assume Dionysius was none the wiser, and now he is remembered outside Siracusa for his mention in Dante’s Inferno, and as the inventor of the catapult, a weapon used to throw boulders 300 feet and hurl cows over castle walls in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

 

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